Bhubaneswar: Tension has gripped college and university campuses across Odisha amid a series of disruptions linked to the upcoming student union elections, ranging from abrupt poll cancellations and student protests to crude bomb attacks and conflicting abduction claims.
At Nimina Brundaban Chandra College in Kendupadar, the cancellation of campus polls has sparked widespread anger, with large groups of students assembling outside the institute to protest what they called an unjustified move by the administration that undermined their democratic rights. Authorities cited growing tensions, rival student disputes, and an overall atmosphere unsuitable for peaceful polling, deciding in consultation with the staff council and local officials to scrap the process in the interest of safety of the students, according to sources.
Security was tightened and police called in to prevent any escalation, while student representatives demanded immediate restoration of the election schedule under proper arrangements and warned of wider agitation if the decision was not reversed.
Pre-poll disputes over nominations, alleged irregularities and sporadic unrest have led several institutions to cancel or indefinitely postpone their elections. Colleges and universities where the student union elections have been cancelled include Model Degree College in Nabarangpur, four colleges, including Prajamandal Women’s College, in Nayagada district, a women’s college in Kendrapada, Bhadrak Women’s College and Naami College in Bhandaripokhari, Khariar (Autonomous) College in Nuapada, Gop College in Puri, Deogarh Degree College, UK Mahavir College in Pattamundai, Jambeshwar College in Baleshwar and Vyasnagar Autonomous College in Jajpur.
The atmosphere of unease intensified further with a bomb attack at Banki Autonomous College in Kataka district, where unidentified miscreants hurled explosives near the administrative and science blocks, damaging doors, windows, furniture, and causing a wall to partially collapse. The blast, which occurred amid rising election-related tensions, triggered panic among students and faculty. A forensic team from Kataka examined the site, collected residue samples, and reviewed CCTV footage as police launched an investigation under relevant legal provisions.
College principal Pramod Kumar Panda confirmed that authorities were notified immediately, and security was heightened to prevent any flare-ups.
Meanwhile, Utkal University administration has dismissed the reported bomb attack on campus as a rumour, even as security measures have been significantly increased to ensure safety of students. It was earlier reported that three crude bombs had been hurled near the Gopabandhu Hostel around midnight, which rattled hostel residents and sparked protests at the university’s main gate.
Election Officer Jagneshwar Dandapat clarified that the alleged bombing was entirely unfounded. He emphasised that authorities are proactively maintaining law and order to prevent any disruptions. To restore calm and secure the campus, over 250 CCTV cameras have been installed, supplemented by discreetly placed lenses in high-risk zones. Security has been reinforced, with university personnel and local police jointly managing the primary entrance. Additional officers have been deployed to vital corridors, including the boys’ and girls’ hostel lanes, the market complex, Talapadeswari Lane, and Gandhi Shanti Sthal.
Security has also been heightened at Nimapada College in Puri district after miscreants set off firecrackers near the gate late on Saturday night, an act police suspected was intended to create fear. Puri SP Prateek Singh visited the campus, deployed two platoons of personnel at every gate, and directed improvements to CCTV coverage and lighting.
Meanwhile, ABVP-backed candidates from Kakatpur Mangala College submitted a memorandum to local police seeking measures to ensure peaceful, violence-free voting free from external interference or overcrowding.
In Pallahara, controversy surrounding Malyagiri College centered on a kidnapping allegation involving independent student union presidential candidate Laxman Munda. His father lodged a police complaint claiming the young man had been abducted from his maternal uncle’s house in Godapada village, allegedly with the involvement of a college lecturer and a former MLA. Laxman, however, publicly denied the claims in a social media video, stating he had filed his nomination of his own free will without coercion from any political party and describing the allegations as false.
Pallahara police registered a case and began investigating the conflicting accounts as the elections approached.